Ohio State's Sustained Excellence is Underappreciated

An article in today’s Cleveland Plain Dealer pointed out the apparent ongoing resentment directed at the Ohio State Buckeyes football team, mostly by the media, but also by college football fans around the country.

I don’t get that.

The rationale is that the Buckeyes are typically overrated. They beat fair to average teams. They lose to top-tier teams. And so on, and so forth, blah, blah, blah.

Except, dear critics, answer me this: Other than USC, which has far outpaced any college program for the last decade, name me a school that has consistently outperformed Ohio State in recent years.

You can’t, because there isn’t one.

Remember when all this overrated talk started, back when, somehow, the Buckeyes topped the darling Miami Hurricanes to win the national championship? That was at the 2002 Fiesta Bowl, and I guess the nerve of Ohio State to actually topple “The U” was more than the whiners could take. Since then the Buckeyes have been the target of the college football world’s wrath.

OK, let’s look at where things stand.

Here are Ohio State’s final BCS rankings for the last seven years, beginning with 2001, the year they went on to win the national title: 2 – 5 – 25 – 4 – 1 – 1 – 10. Six out of those seven years, they were ranked in the top ten, and their only slip was the 25th place ranking in 2004.

Skipping over USC for the moment, the only other team who can boast similar numbers for the past seven years is Oklahoma: 7 – 1 – 2 – 23 – 10 – 4 – 1. The Sooners, like the Buckeyes, slipped to 23 one year, but have remained in the top ten otherwise, including two #1 rankings – just like Ohio State.

And that’s it. For the past seven years, USC, Ohio State and Oklahoma have been the most consistently high-performing teams in the nation.

Florida won a title two years ago, and is back in the championship game this season. But the Gators finished out of the top ten five of the past seven years. LSU, mighty winners a year ago, didn’t even make the top 25 this year, and was nowhere to be found in the top ten four of the last seven seasons.

Miami, Michigan and Notre Dame? O, how the mighty have fallen. Georgia? Not bad, but their best finish – third – came seven years ago. Texas was strong this year, and won the championship three years ago with Vince Young, but followed that up with two 19th place finishes in a row. They’re similar to Georgia – strong, but not consistently elite.

Oregon? Oregon State? Auburn? Tennessee? Please.

Which brings us back to our point. Yes, the Buckeyes were a disappointment in two consecutive national championship games. You can’t change that. The games were embarrassing. But they didn’t negate the fact that Ohio State was there, and has been at or near the top for this entire decade.

The fact is, Jim Tressel has run a superb program during his eight years at the helm, and is one of the top college coaches in the land. His game plans against Florida and LSU in the last two national championship games left much to be desired, but his overall record of 83-18 at Ohio State speaks for itself – including four Big Ten championships and a 7-1 record against archrival Michigan, which elevates him to near god-like status among the Buckeye faithful.

Everyone’s entitled to his or her opinion, but the notion that the Ohio State Buckeyes are consistently overrated is ignorant of the facts, plain and simple.

Random Thoughts as December Dawns

Limping to the Finish

The Browns have shot this season all to you-know-where. No news there. It was sad to see Brady Quinn sidelined for the year with a broken finger, just when he was getting the chance to play. It was just as sad to see Derek Anderson go down with a season-ending knee injury in Sunday’s loss to Indianapolis. That some fans jeered as he was helped off the field is distasteful, but then, Browns fans are so frustrated and fed up after 10 years of mostly blatant ineptitude that some of their wrath is bound to be misdirected. It was reminiscent of several years ago when Tim Couch left a game to similar derision, a scenario that was the beginning of the end of Couch’s run in Cleveland.

That said, I was struck by something Anderson said after the game. When asked if we might see Josh Cribbs at quarterback, Anderson responded with a jeer of his own and said anybody who thinks that would have to be “on crack.” You don’t put a receiver at quarterback, he said tersely.

And I thought, why not? First of all, he was a quarterback all the way through his playing days at Kent State. Furthermore, we’re talking about the one guy on the entire roster who consistently, week in and week out, makes plays. Every kickoff or punt return is cause for excitement when the ball is in Cribbs’ hands. Every opposing kickoff or punt return is cause for excitement when Cribbs has a shot at making the tackle -- which, more often than not, he does.

When the Browns started this long downward spiral, Cribbs was one of two players (Jamal Lewis being the other) who dared to say what others only thought: That perhaps some players were guilty of quitting. He later apologized, sort of, because it was the politically correct thing to do, but his words carried weight because, well, he never quits. This on a roster with too many people who seemed to be going through the motions.

This week Cribbs was quoted as saying yes, he could play quarterback, because he did it all his life before the NFL. He admitted it probably wouldn’t happen, but the point was made. “I want the ball in my hands,” he said.

So do the rest of us. I understand turning to Ken Dorsey to steer the sinking ship and I wish him well, but I couldn’t disagree with Anderson more when it comes to Cribbs. If you ask me, if there were 22 guys with number 16 on their jerseys, or at least number 16’s heart in their bodies, this franchise would be a lot better off.


On the Cavaliers…

Earlier this year I bemoaned the presence of Ben Wallace in the Cavs’ starting lineup, because of his age and his offensive shortcomings. It’s early, and the long season could yet take its toll, but I’m happy to admit that, thus far, Big Ben has made me eat those words.

The Cavs are playing championship caliber basketball, and Wallace is a big part of their success. His defensive intensity and rebounding prowess have helped fuel their recent run. I was concerned that perhaps he’d lost the one aspect of his game that had made him so formidable -- that being his intensity. My concern was misplaced. He’s been a one-man wrecking crew at times, and his teammates have picked up on it. That’s leadership, and I tip my cap to him.

Momentum is a funny thing in sports. As miserable as the Browns’ performances have been -- and as much as one lousy game fuels another -- the Cavs’ performances have been dominant. Players are feeding off of one another, and Mike Brown is doing a remarkable job of getting people their minutes.

Give credit to LeBron James on that count. His minutes per game are finally down to a reasonable level, and he’s not complaining at all. He’s getting much-needed rest because the Cavaliers are simply overpowering most of their opponents, and he’s not needed in the fourth quarter of many of those games. As his minutes decline, Brown can spread them among the Cavs’ bench players, and everybody’s happy. You get the sense that LeBron is less interested in accumulating personal stats than he is in getting the ring, and when your leader exhibits that approach, the rest of the team will follow.

Mo Williams and Delonte West are quickly becoming one of the best guard tandems in the league. And Zydrunas Ilgauskas just keeps rolling along, giving other teams fits with his offensive rebounding and outside shooting. Meanwhile, the bench is the deepest it’s been in years -- maybe ever -- and continues to make meaningful contributions night in and night out.

This team is good. Very, very good. I’m already looking forward to May and June.


High school football

I was treated, along with the rest of our town in North Canton, Ohio, to a remarkable season by the Hoover High School football team. The Vikings defied most preseason forecasts by losing just one game in the regular season, winning the Federal League title with a perfect 7-0 league mark, and going on to three straight playoff wins and a regional title.

That’s where it ended, of course, as the Vikings ran into the buzz saw that was Cleveland St. Ignatius in the state semifinals. The Wildcats went on to win the state championship in Division I, but Hoover’s overachieving roster will go down as one of the best teams in school history.

St. Ignatius is to be applauded, but I was struck during the postseason by all the talk of their 10 state championships in the last 20 years. I was reminded of a column last May by Bob Dyer of the Akron Beacon Journal, in which he wrote of the disproportionate advantage that parochial and private schools have over public schools in athletic competition. The stats that he cited were undeniable.

The playing field isn’t level by any means when it comes to private and public schools in Ohio. It’s not the private schools’ fault, of course. But, on the whole, it’s tough for public schools to reach the highest rung on the ladder on a consistent basis. A look at St. Ignatius’ web site reveals that it’s run more like a college than a high school, complete with a sophisticated advancement office that is only too happy to share information about annual gifts, capital gifts, and planned giving. Families pay tuition for their children to attend there. Even the web site suffix, “.edu,” is the one typically used by colleges and universities.

The two schools featured in the Ohio Division I championship game -- Cincinnati Elder being the other -- are both private, all-boys schools. And, unfettered as they are by geographic restraints, they welcome any student who can make the daily drive to their often glittering campuses -- and who can afford their rather hefty tuition fees.

Before Hoover’s game with St. Ignatius, Viking coach Don Hertler put it as politely, and plainly, as it can be put: “They’ve got kids probably from five counties, and we’ve got them probably from five neighborhoods.”

Officials from the Ohio High School Athletic Association acknowledge the disparity, but also lament the complexities involved in operating separate tournaments for public and private schools. I can understand their dilemma, but anyone who saw the St. Ignatius-Hoover semifinal and didn’t come away scratching their head over the issue just wasn’t paying attention.

Again, it’s not St. Ignatius’s fault. The system is what it is. But schools like Hoover only get so far every so often. Perhaps they can find some consolation in the fact that, among public schools in Ohio, they were one of the top two -- the other being the Pickerington Central Tigers, who were a perfect 13-0 before losing to Cincinnati Elder in the other state semifinal game.

Hoover’s football team wasn’t the only one of the school’s squads to make it so far this fall. The girls cross country team, a remarkable collection of talented runners from a small town of 15,000 people, was edged out at the state meet by the perennial powerhouse team from Magnificat High School in Rocky River, a suburb of Cleveland.

Magnificat was nowhere to be found in the boys’ race. That’s because it’s a private, all-girls school.

I checked their web site, too. They have five people in their advancement office.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

And so it goes.

In Praise of Phil Dawson

The Browns outlasted the Buffalo Bills Monday night, but that’s not what I want to talk about.

I want to talk about Phil Dawson.

Had he kicked for the Browns in just about any other era, he’d be thought of among the team’s all-time greats.

For one, he’d have scored a lot more points. The poor guy had only 53 in the offensively challenged season of 1999, the year the Browns returned to the NFL. He kicked just eight field goals the entire year, and only 23 extra points. Not a lot of opportunities, there.

There would be another season of offensive woe in 2000 before Dawson and the team began to climb out of the abyss, culminating in last year’s 10-6 turnaround (or tease, depending on how you look at it), during which Dawson tallied 120 points -- a respectable total in anybody’s book.

Could you imagine if he’d been kicking for those Browns juggernaut teams of the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s?

As it is, Dawson has totaled 852 points in his 9-plus seasons, and one has to believe he’d be well over 1,000 by now had he teed it up for the Browns of eras past.

But it’s a look inside the numbers that is startling.

Dawson has connected on 83 percent of his career field goal attempts. Eighty-three percent! Hall of Famer Lou Groza (left), known as “The Toe,” connected on just 58 percent of his attempts in 17 glory-filled seasons. Don Cockroft, Groza’s successor who spent 13 years with the team, connected on 66 percent.

Breakdowns by yardage aren’t available for Groza’s era, but a comparison of Cockroft and Dawson is even more telling. Including last night’s game winning 56-yard field goal -- a career best -- Dawson has made 10 of 14 career attempts beyond the 50 yard line, a 77 percent success rate. Cockroft? Try 3-of-19, for 16 percent.

This is not to take anything away from Cockroft (left), who doubled as the team’s punter for most of his career. But that’s a stunning disparity. It’s just as significant in the 40-49 yard category, where Dawson has connected 68 percent of the time, to Cockroft’s 52 percent.

Last night’s win over Buffalo illustrated perhaps as much as any game in recent memory why Dawson is so valuable to this team. He was 5-for-5 on field goal attempts. Add in the two extra points and he had 17 of the Browns’ 29 points. Without his steady foot, the game would have been lost.

Dawson is the only remaining player from the 1999 roster and has quietly defined excellence for a decade of seasons wearing the orange and brown. His field goal success rate is the fifth-best in NFL history.

Dawson has gotten stronger, and better, as he’s gotten older. He’s a seasoned veteran with ice in his veins, and quietly gets the job done week in and week out. In fact, there's hardly a time when Dawson comes out on the field when you don't think he's able to make the kick.

In my book, he’s already one of the all-time Cleveland greats. We should enjoy his work and appreciate him while we can.

Score Knew the Score - The Fans Came First

For a generation of Cleveland Indians fans, Herb Score is the voice they will always remember.

It wasn't a particularly mellow voice. He had a peculiar accent, one unlike any I've heard before or since. And he wasn't a polished announcer by any stretch of the imagination.

Instead, Herb came across as one of us, a fan, someone who was enjoying the games he was broadcasting, and who wanted us to enjoy them, too.

That was a pretty tall order during most of the three decades he sat in the Tribe's broadcast booth, first on television from 1964 to 1967, and then on the radio from 1968 to 1997. As Joe Tait, a former broadcast partner of Score's, once said, "Herb Score has seen more bad baseball than anybody."

Score died early Tuesday morning at his home in Rocky River, a suburb of Cleveland. He was 75. I remember when he was on TV, calling the games with Harry Jones; and his earliest days in the radio booth, with Bob Neal. He teamed with Tait in the mid-1970s, and they were the tandem calling the games when I left Ohio for the West Coast in '76.

So it was remarkable, to me, that Herb was still broadcasting the games more than 20 years later, when I moved back to Northeast Ohio in 1997. By then, the Indians were actually good. They had been to the World Series in 1995, losing to the Atlanta Braves. And they returned to the fall classic in that summer of '97, coming oh-so-close to winning it all before losing to the Florida Marlins (it still pains me to say that -- the Marlins?) in seven games.

The tributes began as soon as the news of Score's passing broke -- understandably so. Score was once a budding major league star, with the Indians in the late 1950s. It's been said that he was Sandy Koufax before Sandy Koufax came along -- meaning, of course, that he was the fireballing lefthander who was expected to take the baseball world by storm. But fate wasn't so kind. He was struck in the eye by a line drive off the bat of New York's Gil McDougal in May of 1957 (just a month before I was born), and his once promising career was derailed after that. Score never blamed the incident -- he insisted he encountered arm problems and was simply never the same.

Known for his humility, and his faith, Score jumped at the chance to give broadcasting a try in 1964, and it started a 34-year broadcasting career that became the stuff of legend in Cleveland lore.

Any of us who grew up as Indians fans in the 1960s. '70s, '80s and even '90s cut our teeth on Herb's descriptions of the games. They were simple, direct and free of fluff and bluster. He described what he was watching, to the best of his ability. If that ability was sometimes lacking, he more than made up for it with his knowledge of, love of, and respect for, the game.

Those descriptions of Indians games meant so much to us as fans because we couldn't just turn on the TV and see every game, every night. In those days, only occasional Indians games were televised on weekends, and then only if they were on the road. Home games could be heard only on the radio, and that's where Herb, and his long line of broadcast partners over a 30-year span, came in. We depended on them, and nobody came through quite like Herb.

Herb Score was a legend to multiple generations of Cleveland sports fans. He was already missed, having stepped away from the microphone after the 1997 season. Now, he'll be mourned, too.

The Bright Side of the Browns’ Latest Loss

Unbelievably, the Browns again snatched defeat from the jaws of victory Thursday night, stumbling through a miserable fourth quarter en route to a 34-30 loss to the Denver Broncos – their second straight shocking collapse at home.

Whatever. Dissect it all you want, wail and cry all you want, but today, I’m a pretty happy man. Because the Brady Quinn era has started, and not a moment too soon.

Nothing against Derek Anderson, who accomplished far more in the position than I ever expected, and actually turned in a memorable year in 2007. A Pro Bowl year, in fact. It earned him a hefty new contract, so let’s hold the tears for D.A. I suspect he may turn up as a starter somewhere else down the road, and if that happens I’ll be rooting for him to do well.

But Quinn not only looked sharp in his professional debut, he said things afterward that sounded like the words of a champion. To wit:

"I told everyone, this one is flat on me," Quinn said. "I know I am good enough that I can make a play at the end and win.”

Hear that, Braylon Edwards?

More Quinn: ''There was no doubt in my mind when I walked out there that we were going to score on every drive. If you don't think like that, you're not going to be successful.''

Imagine that.

And finally, commenting on two Phil Dawson field goals, Quinn said this: "The frustrating thing was coming away with field goals instead of touchdowns. Nothing against Phil Dawson, but we've got to get sevens there."

Think about that. Points weren’t enough. Only seven points would have made him happy. Making plays in the clutch, and scoring on every drive, is the only acceptable result.

When is the last time you heard a Cleveland quarterback talk that way?

And this is the guy that the Browns' brain trust left standing on the sidelines for 24 games?

I’ve been to the stadium to see the Browns twice in the last two years. Both times, during warm-ups, there was one quarterback who stood out in my mind: Brady Quinn. He moved like a leader and threw like he was born to do it. Tight spirals. Accurate throws. By comparison, Anderson, Ken Dorsey, and, last year, Charlie Frye, looked average at best.

Well, all that’s changed. Brady has arrived. Take heart, Browns fans.

Where Bad Shooting Happens

OK, back from another prolonged break. These things aren't planned, they just happen.

The Cavaliers opened the new season in ho-hum fashion Tuesday night in Boston, after another Oscar-worthy performance in the pregame ceremony by an over-the-top, tearful Paul "Where's my Wheelchair?" Pierce. Once things tipped off, it was more of the same on the part of the Cavs -- meaning bizzare-o offense, featuring a shocking unfamiliarity with the concept of shooting.

For one thing, you don't win a championship in today's NBA with an aging Ben Wallace in your starting lineup. It's tempting fate enough to field an aging Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who can at least still hold up his end. But Z and Ben, side-by-side?

In the opening minutes of last night's game, Wallace took a feed at the high post and started a dribble drive, when suddenly he looked lost and passed off, despite having a clear path to the hoop. C'mon, Ben, just lay it in, for crying out loud.

From there we were treated to an assortment of offensive hijinks by the Cavs, and the obligatory postgame CYA comments about how "we played well enough to win" and needed to "get stops" and "just didn't put the ball in the basket." Blah, blah, blah.

Professional basketball players who can't shoot are hypocrites. Give me a break. You make millions, have all the time you need during the offseason, and are provided with every amenity and comfort in palatial new practice facilities -- and you can't shoot a ball? It's criminal.

LeBron James is in his sixth season in the NBA. His physical talents are breathtaking. But if I'm an opposing team, I foul him repeatedly at the end of a close game. It's almost guaranteed that he'll brick nearly half of his free throws in those situations. He did it again down the stretch Tuesday night.

What is that?

Ridiculous, that's what. I'm in his corner, and I'm a Cavs fan all the way. But it's indefensible, not just on his part, but for any player at the professional level. Every year we hear from LeBron how he's more dedicated, he's stepped up his game, etc.

Prove it. Make the damn shots. That's all. Just make them.

"Basketball" is so named because the primary object is to put the ball in the basket. The secret to doing that is proper shot selection. If you're a lousy three-point shooter, lay off the three-pointers. If you're a lousy shooter, take a seat. But if you're a lousy free throw shooter, the only answer is to practice and practice and practice until you can't miss. And then you practice some more. (See: Larry Bird.)

I coached kids (at all age levels) for years, and regularly repeated a simple offensive philosophy: Take shots you can make, and make the shots you take.

Good grief. Not another year of this. Please.

Postseason Blues

Honestly, can we calm down a little?

The Dodgers swept the Cubs in the NLDS, finishing things off with a 3-1 victory Saturday. Fair enough. But what's with all the celebrating?

Teams roll out champagne, take curtain calls, and otherwise act like they've won the World Series when, obviously, they haven't. Haven't even won a pennant. Just a series. Still two more to win before they can claim the big prize.

So act like it. Shake hands, wave to the crowd, exchange a hug or two, and go shower up. Lots of business yet at hand.

Which brings me to another pet peeve. "Postseason" records. That's all well and good, but the notion that Manny Ramirez's postseason home run record is comparable to those of Mickey Mantle or Babe Ruth is preposterous. Ramirez holds the all-time postseason record with 26 dingers, well ahead of Mantle's 18 or Ruth's 15 -- except theirs were all in the World Series. Every single one. How many World Series home runs does Ramirez have? Four.

No question, you have to get to the World Series to be able to hit home runs there, and Mantle and Ruth had the good fortune to play on powerful Yankee teams that seemingly made it every year. But that's part of the mystique. Theirs came on the biggest stage of all, under pressure like no other in baseball -- and, for their eras, like no other in sports.

Ramirez has hit 22 home runs in divisional and league championship series play, and that's impressive. But let's not lose perspective on what Mickey and the Babe did when they lived up to expectations and delivered time and time again to set the standard for World Series greatness.

Feel-Good Stories from a Not-So-Good Tribe Season

Now that the Indians' every-other-year funk is out of the way, a few upbeat notes from an otherwise disappointing season:

Cliff Lee. Duh.

Kelly Shoppach. Talk about taking advantage of an opportunity. The guy proved that he's an every-day big league catcher. Anybody notice that his 21 homers was tops among A.L. catchers? One of the best acquisitions the Indians have made this decade.

Jamey Carroll. Don't look now, but Carroll (left) had a better batting average than Grady Sizemore or Ben Francisco. Again, he took advantage of an opportunity (when Asdrubal Cabrera fizzled early and Josh Barfield went down with an injury) and made the most of it. Whodathunkit?

Shin-Soo Choo. Quietly the best hitter on the team down the stretch. In fact, in just over half a season, he had 14 homers, 66 RBI and 68 runs scored to go along with a team-best .309 batting average. Should come into 2009 with a starting outfield spot all sewn up.

Jhonny Peralta. I wasn't exactly in his camp early in the season, but he settled down and put up some solid numbers (like Carroll, posting a better batting average than Sizemore). I'm not a big fan of his at short -- I happen to think that his growth spurt a few years ago hindered his quickness and mobility -- and hope that he meant what he said this week when he told reporters he'd be willing to consider a move to third base if that's what's best for the team. Good for him. He would instantly become a solid presence at the hot corner, both defensively and offensively.

Grady Sizemore. I'm torn on this one, because his batting average took a disconcerting drop, but he still managed to put up big numbers for an average team. A career-best 33 homers, with 90 RBI and 38 stolen bases. Excellent defense, tremendous hustle. Cornerstone of the team.

Jensen Lewis. Hey, he produced as the closer when asked to do so. After the nail-biting adventures of Joe Borowski and company all season, Lewis got the job done, with 13 saves and a 3.82 ERA. Don't know if he'll be there next year, but the team could do worse, as we all know.

Scott Lewis. OK, call it beginner's luck. But he pitched like a seasoned veteran at the end of the season. In fact, he was as good or better than Cliff Lee in his late-season starts. Maybe it was a flash-in-the-pan thing, I don't know. But it was fun to watch, after a year of disappointments.

Casey Blake and CC Sabathia. Both good guys, who left fond memories behind, and now are in the N.L. playoffs. Good for them, and give Mark Shapiro credit for sending them places where they had a chance to taste the postseason. I hope they meet in the N.L. Championship Series, and may the best man win from there.

Finally, does anyone remember Jorge Velandia? It was that kind of season in 2008....

USC, Georgia, Florida -- Even Ohio State -- Got It Right

So, a big weekend of college football saw lots of top teams get knocked off their perches.

Big deal.

If history is any indicator, they'll all hover around the top and, more than likely, one of them will be right back there by season's end. I'd guess it will be USC, but time will tell.

It all comes down to polls, which, in all honesty, are a silly way to determine any type of champion. For years, that's all there was. Now, the BCS tries to even the score -- mostly to no avail.

Who said that any team should be ranked where they are? Writers. Coaches. It's all based on opinion, not fact. Not performance. Opinion. Where in sports does that count for anything, except in college?

Before a college team plays a down -- or in basketball, scores a basket, or in baseball, scores a run -- opinions determine where they rank.

And so, when they lose, opinions determine how far they should fall in the polls -- if at all. Ohio State loses big to USC? They drop about 10 spots, to push them, for all practical purposes, out of national title contention for good. That's probably as it should be, considering their lackluster performances against YSU, Ohio and even Troy.

Now it will be interesting to see where USC lands, after losing to Oregon State, a team that previously lost to -- wait for it -- Stanford.

Fact is, it always comes down to how you perform on the field. Teams lose. Sometimes, they lose games they're not supposed to, like when the New England Patriots lost the Super Bowl to the New York Giants. After the USC debacle on Thursday night, favored teams like Georgia and Florida were upended on Saturday.

So we end up waiting breathlessly for the polls to come out, so we can determine who, for now, is the #1 team in the land.

Why? Why do we need to know that now?

We don't know who the best team in Major League Baseball is, and won't until after the World Series is played. What a novel concept. Play the season, play the playoffs, and let performance on the field be the only arbiter.

Same goes for the NFL, where we won't have a clue until the Super Bowl is played. Oh, sure, last year everybody thought the Patriots were tops -- perhaps the best ever. Performance said otherwise. And they were beaten by a Giants team that, had polls been relied upon, might have been excluded from the playoffs altogether.

Granted, there's never been an equitable method determined to have a college football playoff, and chances are there never will be.

And so we have the odd system of determining rankings by opinion. And that takes us back to the headline on this post. The teams that have already lost are in a better position to be higher ranked than any team that loses down the road.

Oklahoma and Alabama are sitting pretty right now. But, should they lose a game later on, look out! They'll tumble several spots, and one or more of the teams that have already lost will move ahead of them. We see it every year. A loss late in the season is far more costly than a loss early in the season.

It's silly, but that's the way it is. Don't be surprised if one of the early losers -- USC, Florida or Georgia -- finds its way back up the rankings and into the BCS title game. Not because somebody else just as deserving lost more games, but because they lost one at the wrong time -- late in the season.

Bumbling Browns

Yecccch.

Sunday's 28-10 loss by the Browns at Baltimore was ridiculous -- inexcusable on many levels. Fans are harping about Derek Anderson -- and yes, he was bad -- but the whole team looked lethargic and undisciplined. After an early drive showed such promise and resulted in a touchdown (and a 7-0 lead), the Browns simply frittered away the remainder of the game. You can cut the defense a little slack -- after all, they were handed impossible situations more than once thanks to DA's interceptions -- but, once again, this was a team that appeared to be woefully unprepared and terribly outplayed. The longer the game went on, the worse it got, and it became difficult and disappointing to watch.

And it comes down to coaching. There's simply not much being said, at any level, about Romeo Crennel's genius as a football coach. People more knowledgeable than I are not exactly leaping to his defense, which confirms my suspicions that there's a problem at the top. The fact is, the Browns have played seven games this year and lost them all: four in the preseason, and three in the regular season. It's been ugly, frustrating and shocking, all at once. Fans came into the season with enormous expectations. There was, no doubt, some wishful thinking involved, but 0-3? That's simply inexcusable.

While we're on the subject of Romeo Crennel, I want to scream when he refuses to refer to players by name during press conferences. This time he talked about getting more reps at quarterback for "the other guy" -- instead of referring to Brady Quinn by name.

Here's a suggestion for Phil Savage and Randy Lerner: How about, real soon, you refer to Crennel as "the former coach?"

Unbelievable. Just unbelievable.

OK, I'm Back

Enough of that silly retirement stuff. So I took a month off -- sue me. The whole Brett Favre thing still bores me. So much so that I got bored satirizing it!

Now then:

-- Anyone who honestly thought Ohio State was going to make a game of it against USC was kidding themselves. That they barely beat Ohio University was evidence enough. Fortunately, I had an event to attend that night, and didn't see a down. No loss. I'm a fan, but in the way I'm a fan of my son's high school team. I follow the team, and I hope they'll win, but I sleep fine either way. This Buckeyes team is not national championship material, so let's enjoy the season and be realistic about things.

-- I'm tired of the Browns' act. Really am. This is a team in disarray. They don't come to play. They're unprepared. Opposing teams punch them in the mouth and take over games before they know what hit them. After the talent on display last year, there's no excuse for it. There's a reason the experts had high expectations for the team this year -- THEY WERE EXPECTED TO BE EVEN BETTER. Instead, they stumbled through the preseason and stumbled through the first two games of the season. One can only assume they stumbled through training camp, too. It's ridiculous. I don't know Romeo Crennel, and I don't know as much about football as Romeo Crennel, but something is very, very wrong with this team and its ability to compete. I do know that he is responsible for that.

-- Cliff Lee has turned in one of the most remarkable pitching performances in baseball history, but I could care less if he wins the Cy Young Award or not. I suspect that it's not at the top of his list, either. It's great to win awards, but the list of sports awards from over the years is littered with one-hit wonders. And that's not what Lee wants. It remains to be seen if he'll be able to string together several excellent seasons, but, hearing his comments this year, it seems that's what he's most focused on -- being consistent, and giving his team a chance to win game in and game out. If he keeps that focus, he'll go down as one of the best in the game. That's more important in the long run than any individual award in one season.

-- I get a kick out of all these NASCAR rivalries and wars of words. This guy cut off that guy, this driver ran that driver into the wall, blah, blah, blah. Come on - these people are flying around oval tracks at ungodly speeds. Of course there are going to be bumps and bangs and crashes. Shut up and drive, and be glad you come out of these insane events alive.

-- I thought what Michael Phelps did was cool. People expected him to win eight gold medals, people wanted him to win eight gold medals, and he won eight gold medals. I can't even fathom how good he had to be to do that, and how many things had to go just right for it to happen. Good for him. Best ever? Who knows? Who CARES? It was remarkable, and that's enough for me.

-- The USA men's basketball team, on the other hand, was overhyped and surprisingly weak, I thought. Early in the qualifying rounds, Dwayne Wade actually said something about how the team was "growing" after they barely edged one of those tiny countries with a couple of factory workers and a baker on its roster. Growing? The best the NBA has to offer, and they're GROWING? Please. The decline of the NBA game -- lousy outside shooting, phantom defense, standing around on offense -- was on display for all to see. The Dream Team of Magic, Bird, Jordan, et al, simply dominated all comers. The "Redeem Team" would have lost to that group, based on what I saw this year. They may be athletically superior, but they're fundamentally inferior. A game between the two teams wouldn't have been close, I don't think.

Good sport, of a different sort

Last weekend I had the chance to rub shoulders with one of the most famous chefs in America, if not the world: Cat Cora, best known from her knockout performances on The Food Network's "Iron Chef America." Cat was in Northeast Ohio for a benefit for Meals on Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties, where I do PR. She is, quite simply, the real deal -- a total delight, gracious and patient and kind in every way. A star, yes. But never a prima donna, even if she had the right to be, considering her exceptional talents and bonafide fame. Cat delivered meals for the agency, did a book signing at the local Borders Books, and wowed 230 guests at a fundraiser. She was down-to-earth and a blast to be around. The pic to the left includes her assistant, Ashley Campbell, and my wife Doreen. A great time, and a great memory.

So there. I'm back. Let me know what you think.

BREAKING NEWS: Delamater Reconsidering Retirement

Almost as quickly as he retired, blogger Tom Delamater is reportedly having second thoughts.

A source who asked to remain anonymous said that Delamater is apparently considering seeking reinstatement into the blogosphere, although the allegation could not be confirmed by anyone close to the blogger or his family.

Delamater retired abruptly on Monday, citing the fact that he didn’t have “anything left to give” to his readers or the sports world. He called his retirement “the right decision” and that there was nothing representatives of Blogger/Blogspot “can do or say now to change that.”

But he is said to have had second thoughts almost immediately after making the announcement. Things only got worse when he tried to go fishing Tuesday and lodged a hook deep into the ring finger on his left hand. Reports of the injury could not be confirmed, but Delamater is alleged to have said that it is not serious and would not hinder his blogging ability. "What am I doing?" Delamater told ESPN's Rachel Nichols. "I'm not a fisherman. I'm a blogger."

Although few people seem to be losing sleep over whether Delamater blogs or not, ESPN devoted another 15 minutes to the story at the beginning of its 11 p.m. "SportsCenter" broadcast.

Delamater Announces Retirement

In a surprise move Monday, Ohio blogger Tom Delamater announced that he is retiring from blogging.

At a hastily convened news conference, Delamater said he could no longer keep his part of the bargain. “I’ve given everything I possibly can to the Blogger organization, to the field of blogging, and I don’t think I’ve got anything left to give,” he said, his voice cracking as he put his head in his hands, trying to choke back the tears. “And that’s it. It’s been a great career for me, and it’s over.”

“As hard as that is for me to say, it’s over.”

After the words officially retiring escaped from his mouth, he broke down.
"I'm not going to sit here like other bloggers maybe have in the past and say that I won't miss it," Delamater said, fighting back tears as a hush fell over the room of usually cynical, not to mention self-respecting, reporters. "Because I will. But I just don't think I can give anything else, aside from the few minutes at a time when I’m actually writing on my computer. And in blogging, you can't do that."

Several times during the news conference, Delamater said that he could still blog “at a high level.” He also denied that representatives of Blogger had not done enough to urge him to write on. At the same time, he said he might have given it more thought if they had.

"I've questioned my decision," Delamater said. "But I believe it's the right decision. And there's nothing that they can do or say now to change that.

During the rambling, wide-ranging news conference that inexplicably lasted more than an hour, Delamater talked of his appreciation for being a Blogger blogger, his lack of a plan for life after blogging, the yearlong sabbatical he and his wife are going to take from appearing at social events, and the inspiration he drew from his readers.

He admitted that as time passed, being a blogger got tougher.

"Tom Delamater got hard to live up to," Delamater said. "It's only gotten tougher, and something told me 'It's gotten too hard for you.' I could probably come back and do it, suck it up, but what kind of a toll would that take on me, my family or my fellow bloggers who are putting forth a genuine effort?

"At some point, it would affect one of those, if not all of them. Maybe it has already."

There were questions about whether Delamater was nudged out the door. But he said no.

"As I walk away, I'm walking away on top, my head high, chin up,” he assured the crowded room of reporters who were hanging on his every twitch, his every word, and his every puzzled expression when someone asked an incredibly fawning and idiotic question. “And it is on my terms, which is a good way to go out."

Immediately, speculation began about whether Delamater would stay retired. ESPN devoted the first 15 minutes of “SportsCenter” to the breaking news, which, by definition, appeared to have actually broken.

“I think he still has too much good writing left in him,” said ESPN’s Mark Schlereth, breathlessly undeterred. “There’s no way he’ll follow through on this.”

Woody Paige of The Denver Post and ESPN’s “Around the Horn” said Delamater, like any other fickle member of the media, had the right to flip-flop back and forth and change his tune whenever he wants. “He’s earned that right,” said Paige. “Just don’t ask me to explain my reasoning.”

Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times, like Paige a frequent contributor to “Around the Horn,” said Delamater wouldn’t be able to stay retired. “What’s he gonna do, go fishing and relax the rest of his life? He’s too much of a competitor.”

“Mind you, he’s not from L.A., so I really don’t care about him,” said Plaschke. “But, still….”

And so, for today, at least, blogging fans everywhere will have to adjust to the reality that Tom Delamater has hung up his keyboard and moved on.

Delamater was expected to appear on "The Late Show with David Letterman" to discuss his decision to disappear from public view. "I mean, I don't want to draw attention to myself or anything," he commented, as he left for a meeting with representatives of Sports Illustrated to talk about being on the cover of the magazine's next issue.

Outdoorsman? For a Day, Anyway...

I've never been much of an outdoorsman, and I'm aware that I've been missing out. Wasn't raised around fishing, or hunting, or boating, or skiing, and really haven't picked up on it in my adult life.

But for one day, at least, I got a taste of it. Part of the reason I haven't posted here for more than a week is that my wife and I had the chance to get away to Lake Mohawk, outside of Malvern, Ohio, about a half hour south of where we live. A friend was gracious enough to let us use his place on the lake, and we had a great time. Lake Mohawk is a man-made lake and residential community, with a par-3 golf course and several beaches built around the lake.

On one of the days, our three kids came to visit for the afternoon, and we took our friend's pontoon boat out on the lake. The kids rode the inner tube while I sat at the controls, and we had a great time. The kids had a blast on the water, and it was just a relaxing but fun way to spend the day. We grilled steaks and generally had a ball. And we were one of literally hundreds of families doing the same thing across the expanse of the lake community. The beauty of the scenery was matched only by the picture-perfect weather we were able to enjoy. What a serene, relaxing environment. We really couldn't have asked for more, and it was great to share it with our family.

Casey Blake

The Tribe pulled the trigger Saturday on a trade that made perfect sense, but sent packing one of my favorite players ever to don an Indians uniform. Casey Blake (left, in his 2-for-3 Dodger debut) was sent to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for two prospects, catcher Carlos Santana and pitcher Jon Meloan.

No question it's a good deal. Santana's got a hot bat and a powerful arm, and Meloan has shown promise in relief during his minor league career. All that for a 34-year-old who is about to be a free agent. Mark Shapiro had to make that deal, even if the potential payoff is still a couple of years away.

Still, it's sad to see Blake join C.C. Sabathia as departed Indians who were once a part of something that showed such promise. To me, Blake was simply a guy you could count on to deliver consistent numbers. He wasn't a superstar, or even a star, for that matter, but you knew what you were going to get with him. After a slow start this year, he had brought his numbers right back to where you'd expect them to be: .289 batting average, 11 homers, 58 runs batted in (a team high). He played third base, first base or outfield, without complaint. He was a positive force in the clubhouse. In six seasons with the Indians, he showed up for work every day and got the job done.

It's good that Shapiro understands the Tribe's current situation and is moving forward without wringing his hands. But Casey Blake will be missed. He'll always be one of my favorites in Tribe history.

Random Thoughts for the Week

Some random thoughts that have occurred to me over the week:

How cool is it that Greg Norman continued to play brilliantly through the second round of the British Open, just one stroke off the lead? I’ll tell you how cool: At 53, he’s two years older than I am. That's not necessarily old -- except in golfing terms. To compete in a major at his age is amazing. To win it would be legendary. Then again, it is the British Open, once his favorite stomping ground. Besides, is it any wonder he’s playing great? He recently married again, to tennis legend Chris Evert. Hey, at least he didn’t marry her for her money. Go get ’em, Greg…

Don’t know why I never commented on the men’s Wimbledon final, but Rafael Nadal (left) and Roger Federer put on a show for the ages. It reminded me in so many ways of Borg-McEnroe in 1980, and even the Borg-Connors slugfests before that. The match was wonderful and awe-inspiring and may, over time, live up to Sports Illustrated’s breathless, instant labeling as “the greatest match ever played.” (No hype among today’s media, is there?) Nadal and Federer are great for men’s tennis – moreso than is the awkward pairing on the women's side of the Williams sisters, who, despite their greatness, make it difficult to watch with enthusiasm when they play against one another in a major final. It’s not fair to say that, but even they admit it. Nadal-Federer, meanwhile, will rank with the greatest rivalries in the history of sport. Just great to watch, anywhere, any time…

How stupid is it that Josh Hamilton is not the 2008 Home Run Derby champion? The other contestants should have just walked off and conceded after his stunning first round performance, during which he blasted 28 long balls. This was more awesome than what Bobby Abreu did a few years ago; Hamilton’s tape-measure shots had the Yankee Stadium crowd, and a national TV audience, gasping in amazement. (Not to mention Chris Berman, who, I do believe, would gasp in amazement announcing a turtle race.) So, Justin Morneau was the derby champion, huh? Yeah, right…

Let’s see now: James Posey gets tons of press as a possible free agent signing for the Cavs…and signs with New Orleans. Baron Davis? The Clippers. Elton Brand? Dealt to the Sixers. Even Corey Maggette signed with Golden State. Some major names have moved already, and so far the Cavs are standing pat. Michael Redd remains a possibility, but, with the addition of Richard Jefferson to the Bucks’ roster, it looks less likely that Redd will end up in a Cavaliers uniform. I appreciate that the Cavs pushed Boston to the limit in the Eastern Conference semifinals, but the fact is that it was just the semifinals, and the Celtics went on to win it all. The Cavs can’t afford to stand pat with the roster they have. Signing Daniel Gibson (left) to a long-term deal was a solid and necessary move, but more will be required if the Cavs are to compete for an NBA championship…

Hate to see Joe Jurevicius lose a third of the season to knee surgery, but that’s the way it is. It's hard to quantify the leadership and grit he brings to the Browns. He’s a crafty, veteran receiver, and I guarantee you that his influence rubbed off on his younger counterparts last year. It’s not likely he has a lot of time left. Here’s hoping he can come back and contribute in ’08. (By the way, has anybody else wondered if Jurevicius [left] and Drew Bledsoe [right] were separated at birth?)...

Finally, Asdrubal Cabrera (left) is back with the Tribe, and deservedly so. His month in Buffalo produced a .326 batting average, with four homers and 13 RBI. He’ll probably displace Jamey Carroll at second base, which is a shame because Carroll has been a consummate pro since taking over the everyday duties. What’s interesting to contemplate is how long it will be before Cabrera is the Tribe shortstop. He played short in 29 of the 34 games he played with the Bisons, and it’s my hunch that he hit better because he was playing a position he enjoys more, not because AAA pitchers are that much worse than big leaguers. If Eric Wedge is going to experiment with the rest of this season, why not move Jhonny Peralta to third (do we really need to see any more of Andy Marte?) and install Cabrera at short? Peralta has turned into a power and RBI machine since being moved to the cleanup spot in the order. That’s more suited to a third baseman. So make the move and get ready for ’09.

And that’s all I have to say about all that.

It's All Gone Too Favre

Brett Favre doesn't care what I think, but here's what I think.

I don't care if Brett Favre ever plays in the NFL again. I enjoyed watching him and was impressed by his accomplishments. But I really don't care if he plays.

I don't care if he retires. I don't care if he unretires. I don't care if he gets his unconditional release from the Packers, as requested. I don't care if he then defects to the Bears or the Vikings or the Lions, or to the Arena Football League. I just don't care.

All the attention heaped on his every move by ESPN is as ridiculous as it is irritating. Chris Mortensen, what do you think Favre will do? John Clayton, what do you think the Packers will do? Mark Schlereth, can you gush about Brett for a while, too?

The whole thing is a bizarre circus. To me, Favre has tarnished his image a bit with all this pins-and-needles nonsense. Make up your mind, already. It's like one of those annoying reality shows on Bravo or E! or one of those other celebrity-obsessed networks. Retire, don't retire, but please make up your mind. It's Sugar Ray Leonard all over again. Sorry, Marvin Hagler, I'm retired. No, wait, I'm unretired. No, this is it, I'm gone. Wait, I think I'll fight again after all.

Yawn. Just make up your mind, already.

Tribe Shows C.C. 'La Porta'

The confirmation today of the news that C.C. Sabathia had been traded by the Indians to the Milwaukee Brewers brought recollections of the deal in 2002 that sent Bartolo Colon to the Montreal Expos. A flame-throwing, top-of-the-rotation pitcher who promised to be difficult to re-sign, sent packing in exchange for some solid prospects.

In Colon's case, the Tribe stole some bonafide major leaguers right out from under the Expos' (now Nationals) noses. In addition to journeyman Lee Stevens, Cleveland nabbed then-minor leaguers Cliff Lee, Grady Sizemore and Brandon Phillips. The company line has always been that Eric Wedge and the Indians had their reasons for parting with Phillips in 2006, but the guy would sure look good in a Cleveland uniform right about now. In his third year in Cincinnati, he's been a .285 hitter during that span. Meanwhile, Lee and Sizemore will represent the Indians in this year's All-Star Game.

In today's deal, the Indians received four minor leaguers in return for Sabathia. The centerpiece of the deal for Cleveland is Matt LaPorta (left), an outfielder/first baseman considered one of the top prospects in all of baseball. LaPorta, thought to be on the fast track to the big leagues, was batting .288 with 20 home runs and 66 RBIs in 84 games for Huntsville, Milwaukee's AA minor league affiliate. (Note to Ryan Garko: No need to check out the picture to see Mr. LaPorta. Just look over your shoulder.)

The other prospects shipped to Cleveland in the deal -- pitchers Rob Bryson and Zach Jackson, plus a player to be named later -- will be discussed by others, elsewhere, ad nauseum. The bottom line is, Sabathia's gone. And there was little that Tribe G.M. Mark Shapiro could do about it. The big lefty seems set on testing the free agent market (remember, he turned down an extension during spring training that would have paid him $18 million a year), so the Indians had to get something in return rather than letting Sabathia leave the way Albert Belle, Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez did over the years.

This is the reality of small-market baseball. A few years ago Shapiro was pointing to 2005 as the year he expected the Indians to blossom into a contender. Sure enough, by 2007 they were again the A.L. Central Champs, and came within a whisker of another trip to the World Series. But this year it all came tumbling down, and the rebuilding begins all over again.

C.C. was solid, if not always spectacular, for the Indians over the years. His departure, coupled with injuries to Fausto Carmona and Jake Westbrook, leaves the once-vaunted Indians pitching rotation depleted and scrambling for cover. Such is the life of a team caught once again in the "rebuilding" cycle.

A friend of mine is a lifelong Pirates fan, and he concedes that there's no reason for the team's ownership to field a winning team. They're a small market, and fans support the team as it is -- so why go out of the way to bring in big-name talent at big-name prices? The Indians' situation is similar. If LaPorta or one (or more) of the other prospects develops, great. If not, the team (and their affiliate network, SportsTime Ohio), make money regardless. What more could an owner want?

Meanwhile, in Bulls' Town...

Couldn't help but notice this item as it trickled across the newswire. New Chicago Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro (left) added former NBA coaches Del Harris (center) and Bernie Bickerstaff to his coaching staff. This is Del Negro's first head coaching opportunity, and it shows either confidence, or stupidity.

Confidence, because it would indicate that he's secure in who he is and knows that he will benefit from having seasoned, experienced coaches around to advise him as he learns the role. Stupidity, because if he isn't up to the job, GM John Paxson can just install Harris or Bickerstaff in his seat.

I suspect it's the former. "When I first accepted this position, I made it a top priority to surround myself with an experienced coaching staff," Del Negro said. "Now. . .you would be hard pressed to find a staff with the combined number of years experience that we have assembled."

It's an approach that makes a lot of sense for someone new to coaching. And it reminds one again of the reservations many fans, and members of the media, have about Cavs coach Mike Brown.

Brown has proven that he can get a team to play defense -- often, great defense. But his offense hasn't worked, and doesn't work. At best, the Cavs offense seems to succeed when they overwhelm teams with athleticism -- usually on the part of LeBron James -- with the occasional and timely tip-ins of Zydrunas Ilgauskas as a follow-up to missed shots (which tend to be numerous). The roster has been littered with lousy shooters, and the offense typically deteriorates into the LeBron-James-dribble-dribble-dribble-shoot pattern. It elicits what one might call the "Ilgauskas chant": Z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z. . . .

A frequent topic of radio talk shows and Internet message boards has been the need for Brown to hire an offensive guru to bring the Cavs into the 21st Century. He's resisted the idea, apparently operating under the belief that he and his current assistants can oversee an offense that will win championships.

My 13-year-old son knows that isn't true. Tens of thousands of frustrated Cavs fans do, too. And, as I've written here before, TNT's Charles Barkley told it like it is when, during the playoffs, he called the Cavs' system a "crappy offense."

The Bulls have been on the verge of being a contender for the past two seasons. With Harris and Bickerstaff (both with 13 years' experience as NBA head coaches) now on board to help Del Negro, this could be the year things get serious again in the Windy City. Brown would do well to take a page from Vinny's book and bring in an expert who could help the Cavaliers take full advantage of LeBron's talents and install an offense that will be both entertaining and productive.

Cavs Load Up on 'Bigs' - Possible Trade Bait?

OK, so it’s J.J. Hickson.

Message boards and talk radio shows are loaded with folks crying “foul” over Danny Ferry’s decision to select the power forward out of North Carolina State. Everybody needs to calm down. It’s one player, and, no matter who the Cavs selected with the 19th pick, they weren’t going to get someone who would instantly elevate the team to championship caliber.

There’s still work to be done. Seeing a scorer like a Michael Redd in a Cleveland uniform next season would be cause for excitement. But don’t give up hope, Cavs fans. A couple of moves that Ferry made later in the night may yet pay dividends. He sent a 2009 second round pick to Miami for the draft rights to Kansas forward Darnell Jackson, and then purchased the rights to Kansas center Sasha Kaun from Seattle. Both were second round picks.

Jackson is intriguing. He’s 6-8, 250, and averaged 11 points and almost seven rebounds a game (tops on the team) for the NCAA champion Jayhawks. More important, he put up those numbers on the national stage, and was part of the pressure-cooker that is the NCAA tournament, all the way through the Final Four and the title game.

Kaun (6-11, 250) averaged seven points and four rebounds as a reserve center. He’s apparently headed to Moscow to play, but could develop into a long-term project. Or, he could be trade bait. So could Jackson. So could Hickson.

Assuming Hickson stays with the Cavs, however, he’ll be expected to be a solid "rotational" player, as Ferry put it. And that may be why Cleveland passed on selecting GlenOak and Ohio State product Kosta Koufos, who later went to the Utah Jazz. Rather than have Koufos intern behind Zydrunas Ilgauskas for a few years, Ferry apparently felt a player like Hickson could establish himself in the rotation and make a contribution right away. Hickson led the Wolfpack in scoring (14.8 ppg), rebounding (8.5) and blocked shots (1.5) as a freshman, so I’m not sure what more fans would ask him to do at age 19. He's an athletic player with basketball skills and strength who the Cavs had rated very highly.

Regardless of who was drafted, it’s not likely that Ferry’s offseason activities are finished.

If You're Gonna Wear Throwbacks, Wear the Right Ones

While we learned the stunning news of Tiger Wood's physical condition requiring him to have more surgery and sit out the remainder of the season after winning the U.S. Open in a 19-hole playoff. . .and that Fausto Carmona and Travis Hafner will have to sit out even longer than expected. . .and that the Indians dropping another game leaves them 7-1/2 games out (and closer to last place than first). . .we turn our attention to one of the really crucial aspects of sports: throwback uniforms.

Recently when the Indians and Padres donned their oldies during their weekend series, they matched 1978 garb. Well, the Tribe simply couldn't compare to the Pads on that score. Cleveland trotted out in their very ordinary solid blues with boring block letters, while San Diego got jazzed up again in those old yellow and brown combinations. Nasty, those Padres jerseys, but memorable. I was living in the L.A. area in those days, and when Steve Garvey left the Dodgers for the Padres, he never looked quite right in that taco combination.

I know the Indians have worn them before, but if you're going to pull out something that recalls the '70s, there's nothing like the '75 attire. The stylized lettering, the blue and red versions, and, of course, the all-red uniforms worn, memorably, on opening day when Frank Robinson hit a home run in his first at bat as player-manager, were unlike anything else worn in team history. Boog Powell said the all-red version made him look like "a giant tomato." Not a bad assessment. But hey, it was the '70s. They weren't alone in their garishness, however. The Oakland A's were best known for the trend with their all-yellow and all-green combinations in 1971 (actually adapted from the franchise's uniforms in 1963, when they were located in Kansas City). The A's were joined in '71 by the Baltimore Orioles' bizarre all-orange outfits. And the Pittsburgh Pirates donned all-yellows and all-blacks in the late '70s.

The Chicago White Sox, not to be outdone, had all-blacks among their many combinations in the late '70s and early '80s, which, memorably, featured shirt collars and, for one game in August 1976, shorts (left). It was the ultimate sandlot softball look, which is pretty much what all the multi-colored major league uniforms recalled during that era. And let's not forget the baby blue road uniforms favored in those days by the likes of the Phillies, the Rangers, the Royals and, yes, the White Sox. What a time.

Still a topic of hot debate, however, is the multi-colored jersey worn by the Houston Astros for 12 seasons, from 1975 through 1986. They're symbolic of that entire era, and were certainly unique among all the brazen color combinations sported by MLB teams in the '70s and '80s. Personally, I was never bothered by them, and I lived in Texas during part of that stretch and was subjected to images of the Astros in those uniforms perhaps more than most people. But a lot of people hated them, and they eventually disappeared.

I've never been much of a Yankees fan, but they still wear the most distinctive uniforms in baseball. The Dodgers are right there with them, of course. And, I have to acknowledge the Tribe for their return to the classic Indians script jerseys in 1994, when they moved to Jacobs Field and began their resurgence as a championship franchise.

Want a fun way to waste some time? Check out the "Dressed to the Nines" section of the Baseball Hall of Fame Web site. You can view renderings of every uniform ever worn by any team. Some cool ones, and some terrible ones. But an enjoyable trip down memory lane.

Grady Being Grady, and Tiger Being. . .Well, You Know

One of the mysteries of the first two months of the baseball season was the inability of Grady Sizemore to get things rolling. The Indians' centerfielder is widely regarded as one of the finest players in the majors, and, with a batting average hovering around .250, he was performing at a level far below expectations.

That's changed of late, and, with it, so have the Tribe's offensive fortunes. He's not alone in picking things up, of course. Ryan Garko, Jamey Carroll and Casey Blake have shown important signs of life as well, to go along with the solid hitting of Ben Francisco and Shin-Soo Choo.

But as Grady goes, so goes the Tribe, and his hot streak continues of late, just as -- no coincidence here -- the Indians have won two consecutive series. His batting average has gradually climbed to .266, and his 17 home runs (five in his last five games) rank second in the American League.

Baby steps, to be sure, but Sizemore must continue to sizzle if the Indians are to climb back into contention in the A.L. Central.

Playoff classic

When we last wrote about the U.S. Open, Tiger Woods had just climbed back into contention after a remarkable finish to Saturday's third round. It's no surprise that he sank a putt to tie Rocco Mediate and force an 18-hole playoff, and no surprise that he won that playoff to claim his 14th major victory.

But what a great story. Mediate was Everyman for a day, if not for a weekend, and twice almost pulled out the victory -- once on Sunday, and again on Monday. His engaging demeanor and the way he handled the spotlight with such optimism and grace made the golf world fall in love with him, and, truth be told, root for him to win the first major of his career. Mediate has 15 PGA Tour victories, so he's no slouch, but he's also 45, and only the Nicklauses of the world won majors that late in their career. Well, maybe until Tiger is that age.

Mediate battled Woods tooth-and-nail throughout the day and actually led the playoff by one stroke heading to the 18th hole. But he drove his tee shot into a bunker and opened the door for Woods to tie it up, which, of course, he did. No one handles the pressure of the big stage better than Tiger Woods. One extra hole was all that was needed for him to wrap up his 65th career win, which, oh by the way, moved him past Ben Hogan for third place on the all time list, eight behind Jack Nicklaus and 17 behind Sam Snead.

An honor for C.C.

Amidst all the contract talk -- will the Indians trade him or keep him? -- C.C. Sabathia was honored as the A.L.'s Player of the Week Monday, after winning a 1-0 complete game victory over Minnesota last Wednesday and outdeuling Greg Maddux and the San Diego Padres on Sunday. He issued only one walk in 17 innings in the two games, while fanning 15 to pass Charles Nagy on the team's all-time strikeout list. Sabathia leads the A.L. with 97 strikeouts in 99-1/3 innings pitched (also a league best).